Parents Use Son As Collateral For N8,000 In Lagos
The family of 15-year-old Ajala Samuel thought they could briefly use him to raise money for some urgent family needs.
But four months after handing him over to a Lagos trader, identified as Iya Meta, who paid them N8,000, his whereabouts had yet to be known by the parents.
It was gathered that Iya Meta allegedly loaned Samuel to some traders on the Lagos Island, who paid N72,000 for him.
The traders were alleged to have further given him out to another family in the state.
Two policewomen, identified as Titi and Funmilayo from the Ijora Badia division, were accused of harassing the family to refund the N72,000 paid to Iya Meta, failing which Samuel would be forced to work till October 2017 when the contract would expire.
His stepfather, Idowu Isiaka, told Punch Metro that the family’s crisis started in June 2016 when he lost his job.
He said, “I worked as a security guard for a traditional ruler. When a banner displaying the man’s picture was stolen, I was put in a police cell for a week before I was released and told that I had lost my job. “At that time, Ajala’s mother just had a surgery and she needed money for medications. I borrowed a motorcycle from a friend and started using it to work. Later, I had an accident with the motorcycle and broke a man’s leg. The motorcycle was seized from me and I was asked to raise money for the victim’s treatment. “I called my wife and told her that we needed to raise money by all means. I told her about Iya Meta, who lived in the community and always said she needed teenagers to work for her. We agreed to take Ajala (Samuel) to her so we could raise some money.” He added that Iya Meta offered them N8,000 as payment for the two months that Samuel would work for her.
The 39-year-old Kwara State indigene said at the expiration of the period, he was surprised that Samuel did not return home as agreed.
He said he went to Iya Meta’s house in the Ijora Badia area of the state and discovered she had packed out.
He said, “When I called her on the telephone, she said she was in Seme (Benin Republic) on a business trip and she had take
But four months after handing him over to a Lagos trader, identified as Iya Meta, who paid them N8,000, his whereabouts had yet to be known by the parents.
It was gathered that Iya Meta allegedly loaned Samuel to some traders on the Lagos Island, who paid N72,000 for him.
The traders were alleged to have further given him out to another family in the state.
Two policewomen, identified as Titi and Funmilayo from the Ijora Badia division, were accused of harassing the family to refund the N72,000 paid to Iya Meta, failing which Samuel would be forced to work till October 2017 when the contract would expire.
His stepfather, Idowu Isiaka, told Punch Metro that the family’s crisis started in June 2016 when he lost his job.
He said, “I worked as a security guard for a traditional ruler. When a banner displaying the man’s picture was stolen, I was put in a police cell for a week before I was released and told that I had lost my job. “At that time, Ajala’s mother just had a surgery and she needed money for medications. I borrowed a motorcycle from a friend and started using it to work. Later, I had an accident with the motorcycle and broke a man’s leg. The motorcycle was seized from me and I was asked to raise money for the victim’s treatment. “I called my wife and told her that we needed to raise money by all means. I told her about Iya Meta, who lived in the community and always said she needed teenagers to work for her. We agreed to take Ajala (Samuel) to her so we could raise some money.” He added that Iya Meta offered them N8,000 as payment for the two months that Samuel would work for her.
The 39-year-old Kwara State indigene said at the expiration of the period, he was surprised that Samuel did not return home as agreed.
He said he went to Iya Meta’s house in the Ijora Badia area of the state and discovered she had packed out.
He said, “When I called her on the telephone, she said she was in Seme (Benin Republic) on a business trip and she had take
Comments
Post a Comment